Glimpses Through Time
by morganaqueen
Summary: Merlin catches glimpses of Morgana as time passes. (reincarnation)
1. Merlin pov

(1100) The first time he sees her it's a surprise. It was been almost five hundred years since King Arthur had died and he had began wondering around the earth. He hasn't seen any of them since that day. Gwen, Gaius, Arthur, the knights, no one. He is walking through a small village on the out skirts of London when he spots her signature long black hair. He does a double take. It couldn't be her. Not after all this time. But it is her. She doesn't notice him as she strolls along the street. There is a man by her side and children walking in front of her. The couple is smiling as they watch the kids. The children call the couple mother and father as they run in front of them. This is unexpected. She is no longer the angry, murderess witch that she once was. This Morgana is happy, in love, and a mother. As she passes him, she gives him a smile. She does not remember the past. This Morgana does not know who he is and he thinks it's better that way.

(May 19 1536) The second time he sees her is by accident. He had been passing by the Tower of London when a crowd started to gather. He really didn't pay attention to what was going on in England anymore. This wasn't the home he remembered and this Henry wasn't his king. His king was still waiting to return. He had heard that the wife of the king was suppose to killed today along with a few of her ladies-in-waiting. This must be what the crowd waits for. He is reminded of the executions Camelot had. The smell of the burning flesh. Now, though, they used swords and axes. They cut off the person's head. A quick, easy death. It is impossible to get out of the crowd so he stands and waits for it to be over. As the ladies are lead through the crowd, he spots her hair. It has been four hundred years since he last saw her in that village. This Morgana is not the happy one from that time. This Morgana puts on a brave face as she waits in line for her turn at the ax. She will not let these people see her cry. He can tell she is scared though. The way her body shakes, the wetness under her eyes. He ignores the puddle he sees under her dress. She deserves a last bit of dignity. She spots him in the crowd as she kneels down. A hint of recognition is in her eyes but it's gone a second later. Her death is quick. This Morgana does not feel any pain as she moves on to the after life.

(1800s) A few hundred years pass before he sees her again. He's walking down the streets of London. Moving. Always moving. Never staying in one place long. There's no telling where Arthur might show up or even when. Soon though. Hopefully soon. It is as he's passing a pub that he sees her. This Morgana takes him by surprise. He stares at her for a long time, taking in her changed appearance. At first he is not sure it is her but her eyes tell him that it is. Her once slim figure is bloated and large. Her perfectly straight teeth are yellow with age. Her hair is still long but it's greasy and full of dirt. The dress she wears clings to her body. It is too tight and small on this larger figure of hers. This Morgana is a lady of the night. Selling her body for a few coins just to survive. It is shocking to see and it saddens his heart. Never in his life has he seen something like this before. He tosses a few coins at this Morgana before walking away. This Morgana is one he never wants to see again.

(1910s-1920s) The turn of the century brings new surprises for the world. Electricity, airplanes, moving pictures. The world is changing all around him everyday and it is hard to get use to these changes. He wonders down the street of a small town when he sees her again. Stopping, he stares at the movie poster. This Morgana is wearing a flowing, blue dress. It is similar to the ones that she use to wear at court all those years ago. The name of the movie is Knights of the Round Table. He knew that the stories from his time had been written down. They were legends now. Myths. Books had been published, plays had been done. Now with this new technology they were making movies about it. It was only right for her to play in the first one. He sits in the back of the theater and smiles as her face comes on to the screen. This Morgana is just as beautiful as she had been in Camelot. Her long hair falling down her back, her hips swinging as she walked, her smile gracing her perfect face. It is memorizing. The movie does not get anything right. The story has been changed so much that it is fiction now. That does not mater though. He hadn't watched it because of the story. He watched it because of her. She makes dozens of movies over the next decade. Once talkies become popular though, her, like hundreds of others, have trouble switching over from silent to sound. Her last picture is a flop. The once famous actress is no more. The last article about her in the newspaper is about her death. This Morgana gave up on life. They find the gun next to her body in her flat. Not even thirty and she's moved on in life.

(14 October 1940) The next decade brings war to Europe. A man from Germany is trying to take over. Those airplanes that once fascinated him so much when he first saw them now brings death and destruction to London. It is not safe anywhere anymore. The siren pierces the night sky as he is sitting in a pub one night. They are taken to the underground until it is safe to leave. The bombs over head shake the ground around them. People hold loved ones hands, hold crucifixes and mumble prayers. He looks around at the scared people and his eyes land on hers. This Morgana is wearing a nurses outfit. She is being trained at a nearby hospital and had been caught by the bombs on her way home forcing her here. Her legs are pulled up to her chest and she shakes a bit with each bomb. He watches her the whole time they are down there. It is tempting to move closer to her, offer her his hand, but he doesn't. What they once shared had happened thousands of years ago. They are strangers now. A bomb goes off over head and she screams in fear. The sound of rushing water makes people turn and look. The tunnel is soon filled with water and earth. He swims the best he can to the surface and manages to get out. She is not so lucky though. This Morgana who was just trying to do good for her country dies along over sixty other people.

(1970s) Three decades pass before he sees Morgana again. Things have changed a lot since the blitz back in the 1940s. Women are fighting for their rights. The right to have careers. To be able to be treated with respect. To be treated as equals. This decade was made for her. She has been a feminist for thousands of years. No man has ever been allowed to stand in her way. Her message on equal rights for women spreads across the country. This Morgana starts out by doing speeches on campuses across the United Kingdom. It spreads from speeches to magazine articles. Finally she writes a few books and starts an organization. Her feminist ideas that were not welcomed in Camelot are cherished here. It is at these speeches that he sees her again. She looks so happy. Happier than he had ever seen her. It is at one of these speeches that she is killed. An anti-feminist that does not like her ideas brings a gun. Two bullets and she is down. This Morgana thrived in this time period until her life is taken from her.

(Now) He sits by the shore and looks toward the island. It was in this lake that Freya rested in. The last time that he had seen her was when she took back the sword right after Arthur had died. The lady of the lake had been silent ever since. Arthur still rested on the island. The once and future king had not risen yet. He had seen others from that time period recently. Lancelot and Gwen. Married with kids. Her brother Elyan was a teacher at the local school. The playboy Gwaine still getting drunk in the pubs. Leon and Percival were with him sometimes. He had even saw Gaius at the hospital once. He was a doctor now. Even his enemies were now returning. Morgause and her sister Nimueh owned a bookstore. Mordred worked there on the weekends. Others he had seen in passing. Elena, Kara, Mithian, Edwin, Cenred, different druids. Even his parents he had caught a glimpse of. They were happy, married, had kids. None of these people remembered Camelot. They were just strangers. Nothing else. The legend of King Arthur and his knights were just myths to them. Things to read about or watch on t.v. Nothing more. They did not know their connection to the story. Did not know the role they had played. He was the only one that remembered. When he saw Morgana again after almost thirty years he didn't think anything of it. She was just another person passing by the long forgotten lake. When she sat next to him though he knew things were different. This Morgana remembered.  
"Hello Merlin..."


	2. Morgana pov

(1100) The village is small compared to London. Not even fifty people live there. It is a popular spot to stop though on the way to the city. That is why she isn't surprised to see so many new people here every day. They never stay long. A day or two at the most before they move along. She has lived here her whole life. Her father had been a farmer and she had helped out on the farm before she married the baker. It was a happy marriage resulting in a few children. The girls had long black hair like their mother while the boys were tall like their father. They close up the bakery early that day deciding to spend some time together. Holding her husband's arm, she smiles as she watches the children in front of her. Her eyes look up from them and land on a man. He is not someone she has seen before. Most likely just passing through the village. Giving him a friendly nod, she looks back at her children. This is a good life.

(May 19 1536) Growing up her life was very different than most people's. Her title was Lady of Bristol and it brought many perks for her. Being royalty meant an invition to the royal court once she became of age. Being there would mean being able to marry another person of royalty. If she was lucky she could one day become a duchess or at least stay a lady. By the time that she got to court things were different. The king had married for a second time to a woman people accused of being a witch. The marriage did not last very long. The queen was said to have been cheating on the king. This was just a lie though. A lie to get rid of a woman who couldn't have the much desired heir. The queen and her ladies-in-waiting were to be killed. She tried not to show any fear the day of her execution. The tears would not stop coming much to her disappointment and she wet herself when she say the ax. Taking a deep breath, she kneeled down at the block. She took one last look at the world around her. Her eyes landed on a man she swore she had seen before. She saw in her mind herself walking down a street holding onto a man's arm and watching a few children running in front of her. There was a man watching her, smiling. It was the same man in the crowd now. Shaking her head, the picture disappeared. It was just a dream. It never happened. Closing her eyes, she lowered her head to the block. This life was over. It was time to move on.

(1800s) Her father had died of disease before she was born leaving her mother a widow with no family and a belly large with child. Her mother didn't last much longer than her father. Childbirth took her. There was no family to send the girl to. No one to look after her so she was sent to an orphanage. The place was horrible. Lice, rats, and hunger run rampant. Once a child turns fifteen they leave. The boys find work in the factories. The girls marry if they are lucky. Most are not. Most end up selling their bodies out on the streets and that is exactly what she does. With the money she makes she buys food, something that she never had before. This leads to weight gain. The one dress that she owns soon is stretched tight over her growing body. She is filthy. Her hair greasy, her teeth yellow. As she is standing by a pub one night she sees the man from her dreams. The dark haired man. He tosses a few coins at her before walking away. This is a tough, unhappy life.

(1910s-1920s) It is when she is a teenage that she sees her first movie. It is the way the people move that memorize her and fills her dreams at night. They so easily are able to tell a story by just moving. No words are needed. She heads to a movie studio on her 16th birthday and lands a role as an extra. In just a few years she is staring in them. They make her feel alive and she is good at them. She makes dozens of films throughout her life and becomes a star. Her picture graces the covers of movie magazines and newspapers. They love their star. Her biggest hit is about a mythical place called Camelot. They cast her as the villain, Morgan le Fay. This is a role she was born to play. The sister of the king who turns evil. She embraces the role. As she looks around at the cast, she frowns. She pictures other people in their places. A dark haired wizard, a blonde king, a dark skinned queen. These people are not right. Shaking her head, the other people disappear. This is just a movie based on a myth. None of this stuff happened. Her career last another decade before talkies become big. No one wants to hear her Irish accent and so she is fired. Just another star who couldn't make it with talking. The glamours life she knew is over. Holding the gun in her hand, she wants sweet relief and that is what she gets. It is time to move on from this life.

(14 October 1940) The world has fallen to darkness at this time. The war is running strong. Bombs are falling from the sky in London. It is during one of these nights of darkness that she is forced down to the underground. She had just done overtime at the hospital she is being trained at and was on her way home when the bombs started falling. A soldier ushered her down to safety. This isn't the first night she spent hiding from the bombs and she is sure that it will not be her last. Maybe afterward she would go back to the hospital. There is always so much that needs to be done after a night like this. Many people dying and getting hurt. This is why she is becoming a nurse. The world needs help at this time and because she is a woman this is the only way she can help. She holds her legs tight to her chest as the ground above them shakes. It is ok to be scared and she knew that. Looking around at the people trapped down there with her, her eyes land on a dark haired man. He seems familiar but she is not sure from where. Maybe he was a patient at the hospital. So many people had come in. It was hard to keep track of faces anymore. She is about to say something to him when another bomb goes off. Instead she screams. Hearing rushing water, she turns to look. In less than a minute the whole underground is filled with water and dirt. She tries her best to swim to the exit but it is not good enough. Water fills her lungs and she sinks to the bottom. This life is over. On to the next.

(1970s) This decade is different. This decade is when the ideas of equal rights for women spread quickly. First it is just a whisper. Something people talk about it private. Not something to be shared. Soon though it is a roar and she embraces this idea. Feminism they call it, this idea of equality for both genders. She starts by giving speeches at her university. Moves on to writing for magazines once she is done with school. Why shouldn't women be able to work along with having families? Why shouldn't they be able to do everything men are allowed to do? Her ideas are written down in books. They become national best sellers in both the U.K and America. This is the decade that she was born for. People form around her. An organization is born. She is back to doing speeches like in her university days. The crowds are larger though. The message spreading to more and more people. This is what she wanted. There is always a dark haired man at her speeches. He is always standing in the same place. Sometimes she thinks he is just a ghost. He never moves, never blinks. Just stares at her. It is unnerving. At a speech she is doing in London, a man with a gun comes. He does not like the message she is spreading. With two shoots she is down. Her eyes land on the dark haired man. He gives her a small smile before walking away. It is time to say goodbye to the decade she thrived in.

(Now) The memories start when she is a child. She grows up playing pretend with her siblings. Her brothers are the knights, her sister is the queen, and she is the witch. To her siblings this is just pretend but to her it is so much more. These are memories from another life. A life from long ago. A time when there were knights and magic. At night she dreams of these people. Of the brother that she had when she was growing up. Of the man who was her father. The one she dreamed of most was a dark hard man. He started out her friend but became her enemy. These dreams never went away as she grew up. It wasn't until she was an adult and living on her that she began to see these people in real life. The dark haired woman and her husband walking down the street. The dark skinned man who taught at her sister's school. The men in the pub who use to be knights. Even the old doctor at the hospital is from her dreams. She heads to the local bookstore to research her dreams but she can't even escape it there. The two woman and boy who work there are all too familiar. These things are driving her nuts. There is no way she can escape it. These dreams, these people, these memories. As she watches an old silent movie late one night, she sees herself. There is no denying that it is her. The same hair, the same body type, the same eyes. She watches it five times, taking in all the detail. That is her and that is her home. Camelot. How could she have forgotten it? Gwen, Arthur, Uther, Morgause. Those were her friends. Her family. She has seen them all this lifetime besides her brother. He has yet to return. When she goes to visit the lake the lady of the lake rested in, she sees a dark haired man. This is the man she has been hoping to see her whole life. This lifetime is for remembering.  
"Hello Merlin..."


End file.
